In today’s digital-dominated climate of cell phones and
social networking, it’s easy to dismiss the basic rectangular business card as
a casualty of the era. Yet many business observers and designers say the card
is still as relevant today as it was in the 17th Century, when it was widely used as a promotional tool
among European aristocrats and trade merchants.

It’s just getting a 21st-century makeover.

Today, business cards can mean much more than the familiar
paper rectangles that were once traded furiously at networking events or tucked
into the backs of wallets. Everyone from large corporations to freelancers are getting creative with calling cards by using unique designs,
textures and even laminated beef jerky and plastic figurines to
promote their brands.

“It’s the digital age, but people are still yearning for
authentic connections,” noted Stephanie Shore, vice president of global marketing
for Moo, an online printing
company specializing in high-quality paper and designs.

Moo has designed cards for a content management system that
included unique
discount codes on one side, allowing the client to track the event or
conference at which the card was distributed and, therefore, better tailor its
marketing efforts.

Another non-traditional option in Moo's portfolio are
mini-cards, Shore said, which are half the size of standard 3.5-by-2-inch cards
and can be fashioned out of multiple layers of superfine paper and a color seam
through the middle. "They always get a reaction," she said.

Other designers are disregarding paper altogether and going
for metal, plastic or even edible stock in an effort to stand out.

Chris Thompson started MeatCards.com, a Philadelphia-based
company that creates laser-etched beef jerky business cards, after
brainstorming with some friends about what to order for their next sets of
business cards.

The idea of edible cards came up. “The next day, I put some
jerky in a laser engraver at work," Thompson said. "The laser etching
left a mark, and meat cards were born,” he said, though he stresses that they
are not edible.

Rethink,
a Canadian advertising agency, created laser-etched beef jerky (edible for up
to a year) calling cards for BC Adventure, an outdoor adventure company. For a baby
clothing retailer, they came up with rounded-edge cards
protected by soft "baby-proofed" corners to express the
company's mission with a hint of cheekiness.

Start-ups are not the only businesses thinking outside the box, however.
At the Lego Group,
executives distribute personalized mini-figurines with their contact
information. Kevin Hinkle, a senior community coordinator for Lego, described
on a company blog that receiving the box of mini-figure cards
was like joining "the cool kids club."

Another widely publicized non-paper card belongs to Apple
co-founder Steve Wozniak. The card's designer, Alan Luckow, recalls how back in 2006 Wozniak asked him for
a special business card and he came up with a cosmetic-grade stainless steel
card sharp enough to cut a steak. The mogul trotted it out as a conversational
piece during an interview on the Colbert Report, and one of the cards even sold on eBay
for $560.

As Luckow recalls, "I mentioned metal to him and he
loved the idea, so I designed this card with an additional feature that
allowed him to shoot a laser through the tiny logo at the top and project an
image."

Now, Luckow said, metal cards are more common. Plasma
Design, the U.K. designer that made Wozniak's original cards, has clients
that include mortgage specialists, lawyers, a motor yacht maker, and Gold's
Gym.

Demand for business cards has also spread beyond the
corporate universe. Vistaprint, an online provider of business cards and other
products, has seen more orders for "mommy cards," which let parents
exchange contact, emergency and even allergy information on the playground or
at school, said Adam Depelteau, a product marketing specialist at the company.
Also in demand are cards that double as raffle tickets, bookmarks and punch
cards for customer loyalty programs, he said.

Others believe the business card, in any form, is on its way
to becoming as obsolete as a VHS tape.

"With the access to social media profiles and all the
tools online to find people, there are just so many options," said Justin
Nowak, chief operating officer of the Canadian
Cloud Council, a nonprofit group promoting the use of cloud technology
among businesses in North America. "I would rather have someone tweet me
or look me up on LinkedIn, as that is more permanent and I don't have to worry
about filing it."

Born of Sound creates custom art from sound forms like a child's laugh or
favorite song.

Yet despite the trend toward a paperless world, it's hard to
beat the feel or look of a good-looking calling card, said Jenelle Mohan, owner
of Born of Sound,
an online shop that creates custom art from sound forms like a child's laugh or
favorite song.

Born of Sound's business cards, which were designed by Moo andfeature
different sound formson one side, are
"critical" to its business and marketing strategy, she said.

"Instead of challenging (clients) to think about what
sound looks like, we can show them," explained Mohan. "We often lay
out a number of cards for people to look at and let them choose their favorite.
This invites them to engage with the card in a deeper way than just adding it
to their collection in a drawer."

Whatever the size or look, there's a sense of pride when
handing someone your business card that isn’t going away, Depelteau added.

"The physical, disruptive nature of a business card is
important," he said. "In today’s world full of digital clutter, being
handed a business card does not allow the opportunity to simply hit 'delete.'"

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